Card filing and selecting apparatus



April 16, 1929. c. HENTZSCHEL ,430

CARD FILING AND SELECTING APPARATUS I Filed Nov.26, 1926 6"Sheets$heet 1- 313 371 a a-"4. I; 11ml. Mi li c. HENTZSCHEL 30 CARD FILING AND SELECTING APPARATUS Filed N0v.26, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 p i 6, 1929. c. HEbiTZSCHEL 1,709,430

CARD FILING AND SIEII'JEC'IING APPARATUS I Filed Noir.26, 192s e Sheets-Sheet;

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April 16, 1929. c. HENTZSCHEL CARD FILING AND SELECTING APPARATUS I 6 Sneaks-Shee 5 Filed Nov. 26, 1926 //7 yen far.

Patented Apr. 16, 1929.

v UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

GURT HENTZSCHEL, OF GROSSALMERODE, NEAR CASSEL, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO HENTZSCHEL ELEKTRO-IBUCHER GESELLSCHAFT MIT'IBESCHRANKTER- HAFTUNG, OF GROSSALMERODE, NEAR CASSEL, GERMANY.

cum Finns AND SELECTING AP'P'ARATUS.

Application filed November 26, 1926, Serialli'o. 151,877, and 1n Germany August 29, 1925.

This invention relates to a card filing and selecting apparatus for use in account keeping systemsand the like, and consists in the provision of an annular, circumferen- 6 tially open card magazine which revolves through the medium of a motor about a vertical axis and which is controlled by means of a selector keyboard whereby it can be positioned relative to an automatic card ex- 10 tractor for the delivery of any given card.

The cards are arranged vertically in radial positions in the magazine and formedwith staggered tabs whereby they cooperate with the catches of the card extractor.

The apparatus is operated by means of electromagnets which are switc iedi'on by means of the selector and switched ofi b the arrival of the magazine in the selecte position. y

l of the accompanying drawings represents a horizontal section ofthe magazine and card extractor taken on the line 1-1 of F1 2, i

Fig. 2, a section on the. line 11-11 of Fi 1, 4

Fig. 3, a section on an enlarged scale of the part included between the lines III-III of-Fig. 1,

Fig. '4, a vertical section of the selector ke board, I

liig. 5, a plan view of the same, partly in section,

Fig. 6, a view of the key-releasing device,

Fig. 7 a section of the card extractor taken on the line VIP-VII of Fig. 1, and

Figs. 8 and 8 represent together a diagram of the electric circuits.

The cards 355 are arranged radially in a vertical position in an annular card mag- 4 -azine 354 which revolves about acentral cylindrical chamber 352. An electromotor v 353 in the latter drives, by means of a magnetic clutch 356, a shaft 391 which is geared.

, through the medium of a pinion 392 to a circular rack 358 connected to-the card magazine. The rotary movement thus im arted to the magazine serves the pur ose 0 posi tioning any particular card re ative to the "card extractor. The latter is composed of ten superposed catches 385 each of. which is controlled by an arm 379 and two toggle .members 376 and 378. Each catch is pivoted to a slide 382 which is guided on a rod 381. An .arm 379 has an elongated aperture 383 whereby it engages a pin 384 on the slide. A spring 386 holds the catch against the plate 388 which is provided with slits through which the operative ends of the catches protrude. The toggle member 37 6 and the arm 379 are pivoted at 377 and 393 respectively to a rigid support. Themelnher 378 is pivoted to the arm 379, and both toggle members are connectedby means of a link 380 to one end of a double-armed lever 374 pivoted at 373. The opposite end of the lever 374 is engaged by a spring 375 and has a nose piece 372 whereby it is normally supported on the pointed end of a pivoted armature 371 appertaining to a ma net 370 of which there is one for each catc The elements are shown by full lines in their normal positions. The spring 375 tends to move them into the position shown in dotted lines and does so when the lever 374 isreleased owing to theenergization of the magnet 370. It -wlll be seen that the toggle members are normally in an angular position relative to each other and that, to reach the other end position, the must first. pass a position of alignmenturing the first part of the movement, therefore, the catch 385 will be pushed by the. arm 379 towards the cardmagazine and then retracted and moved to the outer end of the guide plate 388.

The cardsare arranged between partitions '85 in the magazine in groups of ten and are provided with tabs 369 having apertures 387 for engagement withthe catches 385. The tabs are staggered so that only one tab occurs on the-same level in thesame group.

The catch'385, on moving forward, snaps into the aperture 387 of the tab with which it registers and, on returning, pulls the card out of the magazine. The return of the card after use may be efiected either direct: by hand or by means'of alever 389 and the slide 390 which also restores the slide 382 to its initial position.

In the arrangement shown, means are provided for filing and selecting one thousand cards in one magazine. The positioning of the magazine is effected by means of electromagnetic stops. The card magazine is rotated by the motor 353 in the direction of the arrows. A sector 362, which is arranged under the magazine and which moves about the same axis as the latter carries a concentric row of magnets 360 which operate stops 395 arranged at the same angular distance from one another as the card groups. cooperation with these stops, the magazine carries ten equidistant stops 394 which are controlled by magnets 359 and which determine each the particular series of 100 cards from within which the selection of one card is to be made. The magnets 359 receive their current over sliding contacts composed of rings 401 connected to the magazine and corresponding, insulated brushes connected to the stationary chamber 352. The selection of the particular card within a group of ten is determined by magnets 361 which control a row of stops 363.v The latter,.which are supported by the stationary base 400 under the magazine, cooperate with a bar 365 arranged in a radial position on the sector 362 and are staggered so as to arrest the sector in different positions. The bar 365 is pivoted to the sector and controlled by a spring 366. The sector is itself controlled by a spring 364 connected at one end to the base 400, which also carries a stop 402 whereby the normal position of the sector is determined. When an operated stop 394 on the magazine strikes against an operated stop 395 on the sector, the latter is turned in opposition to the spring 364 until the bar 365 is arrested by an operated stop 363. On engagement with the stop 363, the bar 365 is deflected in opposition to the spring 366 until it makes contact with two studs 368 and 403 connected to the sector. Through the medium of the stud 403, the bar 365 closes a circuit whereby the motor and stop circuits are interrupted so as to leave the magazine with the selected card in position opposite the respective catch 785.

At-the same time the circuit. of the respective magnet 370 is momentarily closed over the bar 365 and the stud 368 so that the catch will be released and the selected card extracted.

A plurality of such ma azines and card extractors may be employe in a single card system. a

The selection of the cards from a set of ten magazines each containing 1000 cards is effected by means of a switch ke board having keys arranged as shown in igs. 4 and 5. Four vertical rows of keys 339, 340, 341 and 342 are employed, the keys in each row being numbered from 0 to 9. The cards one for each row of keys.

are provided with four-figured numbers and the keys are selected in accordance with the number of the particular card to be extracted. The keys are supported by springs 351 and latched in depressed position by means of slidable arresting bars 348 of which there Each key stem passes through a slot in a slidable bar 348 controlled by the spring 404 and has a ratchet tooth with which the bar snaps into.

engagement in the depressed position of the key, the slots being large enough toallow the bar to be operated by one key without affecting the other keys. The release of the keys is eltected by means of triggers 350 which are mounted on a shaft 405 together with the armatures 406 of electromagnets 349 whereby the shaft and triggers can be rocked. The triggers engage in apertures in the bars 348 and move the latter in opposition to the springs.

from a source Q, of current (Fig. 8") of a particular magnet 359 in any magazine. Each key 341 energizes a particular magnet 360 in any magazine by means of a contact plate 345. A contact plate 346 on each key 342 completes the supply lead to one of the magnets 361 in any magazine. The common return leads 404 of all the stop magnets to the battery Q in one of the magazines is completed by a plate 347 on the depression of a key- 339. Each. key has moreover a contact plate 343 which cooperates, as shown Each key 340 has a contact plate 344 which completes the'supply lead in the diagram in Fig. 8", with the corresponding plates in the other rows, for closing the circuit of the motor 353 and the clutch 356 in the magazine selected by the depression of the key 339, the return being over the closed contact 347.

The action is as follows: As soon as four selected keys have been depressed, the circuits of the motor and of the different stops in the magazine containing the required card will be closed, and the card magazine will be set in motion. When the group containing the required card arrives at the card extractor, the operated stop 395 on the sector will be engaged by the operated stop 394 of the magazmefand the sector will then participate in the movement until the selected card is in position in front of the respecazine either direct'by hand or b means of the lever 389 which also restores t e operated catch to its initial osition'. To prevent shoe s at the starting of th magazine, the motion from the motor is transmitted through the medium of a spring 357 arranged in one ofthe clutch elements.

Since the clutch is switched off at the same comprising an annular,. circumferentially time as the motor, the latter is allowed'to spend its impetus without affecting the magazine. I

The tabs and the catches 385 are arranged so that a free space is formed in the middle of the card group for the attachment of the,

usual riders employed in card systems.

Instead of being formed on or attached to the cards, the tabs may be applied to, envelopes or otherholders in which the cards are inserted. O

. I claim:

1. A card filing andselecting apparatus open card magazine adapted to hold the cards in a vertical and radial position, a support for said magazlne, the magazine being rotatable thereon about a vertical axis, a card extractor adapted .to engage and remove individual cards from the magazine, 1 an electr'omotor for rotating the magazlne,

a series of electromagnetic stops mounted on the magazine and on the support so as to be able to cooperate for stopping the magazine, and a key-board selector whereby said motor and stops can be controlled for stoping themagazine with any particular card.

in position to be removed by means of the card ext'ractona 2.'The structure claimed in claim 1, in combination with electromagnetic means for operating the card extractor and means controlled by the magazine stop for closing a coiitact whereby said operating means canbe energized.

3. A structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the card magazine is annular, a cylindrical chamber about which the magazine is guided, a circular rack connected to the inside of the magazine, a' pinion engaging with said rack,

, and an electromagnetic clutch for connecting said pinion with the driving motor.

4. A card filing and selecting apparatus comprising a support, a cylindricah'circumferentially open card magazine ada ted to hold the cards in a vertical and ra ial position, the magazine being rotatable about a vertical axis, a magnetically operated card extractor adapted to engage and'withdraw individual cards from the magazine, an electro-motor" for rbtating the magazine, a spring-controlled sector pivoted to the support under the magazine so as to be movable about the same axis as the latter, a circular rowof electromagnetic stops carried by the magazine concentrically with its axis of rotation, a row of electromagnetic stopsarranged on the sector concentrically with the pivot,

the stops of the magazine and those ofthe sector being adapted to engage when 0- erated by their magnets so as to couple t e sector to the magazine, an arresting bar ar- 4 ranged on the sector in a radial position, a third row of electromagnetic stops arranged on the support so as to coo erate, whentheir magnets are energized, :w1th said arresting bar for stopping the sector and the magazine in different angular positions, a'switch keyboard, electrlc clrcu tsconnectmg said keyboard with the different stops, means in said key-board forsel'ectively closing the circuits so as to cause the arresting barto-sto the magazine with any particular card in po.- sition to be removed by means of the card extractor, a circuit connecting the key-board with the motor, and means for closing said latter circuit automatically together with the stop circuits.

5. The structure claimed in claim 4 where-- in the arresting bar is pivoted to the sector and spring-controlled so as to be deflected by engagement with the stops, and electric contacts adapted to bexclosed by the bar when thus (efiected for switching ofl? the motor andthe stop magnets and switching on the extractor magnet. I

6. The structure claimed in-claim 4 wherein the card extractor comprises a catch member, a slide holding said 'member, a guide rod for said slide, a pivoted arm engaging said slide by means of a pin and slot device so that it can be used for moving the slide along the guide rod, toggle members controlling said arms, and a magnetically controlled lever for operating said toggle members, the latter being'arranged so that, when actuated by the lever, the catch member is first moved towards the card magazine and then'away from it, said catch member being adapted, when in its advanced,v position, to

engage with a perforated tab on one of the cards to extract the card when the catch member moves away from the magazine.

7. The structure claimed in claim 4 where-- in th card extractor comprises a plurality of superposed catch members for cooperation with perforated tabs on the cards, adjacent cards having their tabs on different levels for cooperation with different catch members. 4

8. The structure claimed in claim 4 wherein the switch keyboard is provided with a key-o erated switch plate for each stop, the

on each key adapted to close the magnet circuit on .the depression of the key, latches for retaining the keys in depressed pdsition, magnets for releasing the latches, and means whereby the release takes place automatically through the medium of the arresting bar when the magazine is stopped.

CURT HENTZSCHEL. 

